Desi Health Bites: Guthi Vankaya and a Sub-wich

Guthi Vankaya is a famous Andhra dish. It is made by stuffing tiny brinjals/eggplants/aubergines with a freshly made spice powder. The stuffed vegetables are then cooked in a gravy or sautéed in generous amount of oil until cooked. When served as an accompaniment to rice, it is guaranteed to uplift your meal to a gastronomic experience. Know someone who hates brinjal? Then offer them this Guthi Vankaya. And watch the magic.
This Guthi Vankaya recipe was created for the Fortune Rice Bran Oil Desi Health Bites Activity. I have grilled the stuffed Vankaya instead of going the more oil-rich frying route. Also, I tried a sandwich version where I’ve taken the curry one step closer to chomp-heaven! The sandwich is very healthy if you use whole grain bread. Omit the onion rings in the sandwich if you do not want to increase the calories. Instead, raw onion rings soaked in vinegar will add a different dimension to the sandwich too.
Do not let the long list of ingredients scare you. They are quite easy to bring together. Once you bite into the sandwich, any other thought will promptly be forgotten. Go on, try it out and let me know. 
 

ALLERGY INFORMATION

• Does NOT contain gluten, soya, corn, eggs, lactose.
• Suitable for gluten, lactose intolerance or people with nut allergy.

Preparation Time – 20 minutes, Cooking Time – under 30 minutes including grilling time, Serves - 6

You Need -

Cookware – Oven proof glass bowl, mixer grinder, fry pan, sandwich toaster, microwave oven with grill or OTG.

Ingredients -

For Guthi Vankaya -

1. 500 grams tiny violet brinjals
2. ¼ cup dry coconut (copra) slices
3. ¼ cup chopped onion
4. 2 tablespoon Coriander seeds (dhania)
5. 2 tablespoon chana dal
6. 2 teaspoon urad dal
7. 6-7 red chillies
8. A thin 1 inch cinnamon stick
9. 2 cloves
10. ½ teaspoon Cumin (jeera)
11. 1 teaspoon salt
12. 2 tablespoon Fortune Rice Bran Oil*

For Onion Rings –

1. 2 big red onions
2. 1 cup Panko Bread crumbs
3. 3 tablespoon cornflour
4. 3 tablespoons Gram Flour (besan)
5. A pinch salt
6. ¼ cup water
7. Fortune Rice Bran Oil for deep frying

For Honey Mustard dressing –

1. 2 tablespoon good quality mustard
2. 2 tablespoon honey

For Assembling Sub Sandwich –

1. 6 numbers 6” hot dog rolls or Ciabatta bread
2. 1 teaspoon butter
3. 1 European Cucumber (Or Salad Cucumber)
4. 3 medium tomatoes
5. A few leaves each of Iceberg, Romaine and Curly green lettuce
6. 6 Cheese slices

Method –

 For Guthi Vankaya –

1. Add ½ teaspoon oil to a fry pan, and fry these ingredients over medium heat to a golden brown – dry coconut slices, chopped onion, dhania, chana dal, urad dal, red chillies, cinnamon, cloves, jeera. Cool, and grind with salt to a coarse powder.
2. Rinse the brinjals, chop off the stem. Make ‘X’ slits starting from the bottom of each brinjal, going up to the head, but take care to leave the head intact.
3. Stuff the slits with the above powder.

1. Preheat Grill in microwave oven at 220⁰C.
2. Place the stuffed brinjals (Guthi Vankaya) head down and filling-side upward, in a suitable oven proof glass bowl. Drizzle the remaining oil over the brinjals and grill covered for the first 10 minutes, then open for the next 5-7 minutes.
3. The Guthi Vankaya is ready when the brinjal feels soft to touch and the filling looks toasted.

  
  *A word about the oil used here – Fortune Rice Bran oil has a substance called ‘oryzanol’ which helps in reducing cholesterol in the body. Oryzanol works by lowering cholesterol levels and has free radical scavenging actions as well. The latter action helps the body by improving skin texture, reducing wrinkles and ageing, apart from protecting against dangerous cancer causing cells in the body.

For Onion Rings –

1. Mix the gram flour and cornflour with salt and just enough water to make a thin (but not watery) batter.
2. Peel the onions, slice horizontally into thick slices, and separate into rings.
3. Dip each ring into the batter, coat with panko bread crumbs and set aside.
4. Repeat until all onion rings are coated. Heat about 1 cup Fortune Rice Bran Oil in a suitable fry pan and deep fry the rings till they are golden brown. Set aside.

For honey mustard dressing –  Whisk both ingredients to a smooth homogenous mixture.

For Assembling Sub Sandwich –

1. Immerse the lettuce leaves in ice cold water. Rinse the cucumber and tomato and cut into thin slices. Separate the Guthi Vankaya into segments.
2. Cut each hot dog bun/Ciabatta bread horizontally into two. Brush with butter and toast in sandwich maker/tawa for a few minutes. Remove to serving platter.
3. Drizzle some honey mustard dressing over the bottom side of bun.
4. Place the brinjal segments over the dressing. Arrange cucumber, tomato slices over this. Drizzle some more dressing over the vegetables.
5. Drain lettuce, shake dry and tear up by hand into bite size pieces. Place lettuce over the sandwich, top with cheese slice. Cover with top of bun and press down lightly.
6. Repeat with the rest of the hot dog buns and filling similarly.
7. Your super healthy, tasty, filling, homemade Guthi Vankaya sub sandwich is ready.

 

“This blog post is in association with Fortune Foods as a part of their Desi Health Bites activity– The Hunt for the Best Rice Bran Oil Recipes. For more updates and healthy recipes using Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil,
follow Fortune Foods at www.fortunefoods.com , 
on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FortuneFoods and
on Twitter at @fortunefoods (https://twitter.com/FortuneFoods)
 

Sprouted Mung Bean Sagu

A sensible diet does not mean fasting for most part of the day. Rather it means eating smart, deriving maximum nutrition for every bite, making the right food choices. For vegetarians, a healthy diet also means an intelligent blend of cereals and proteins. You may ask why?

Egg is called a complete protein source because it contains all the 20 amino acids needed by the body.

Does that mean you lose out on the proteins if you follow a vegetarian or a vegan diet? NO!!

Nature has provided so much variety that we can easily make every meal a complete protein meal simply by smart pairing of a cereal and a legume. This is because, cereals and legumes have complementary amino acid profiles. In simple speak, cereals will supply the amino acids found missing in legumes and vice versa. By consuming both at the same meal, every time, we can compensate for the amino acids missing in each of these grains and make the meal a nourishing and strengthening one.

Enter - a favourite South Indian breakfast. Rava Idlis are made with wheat semolina unlike usual idlis which are made from a rice based batter. Rava Idlis are always paired with Potato Sagu in homes and restaurants in Bangalore. In Tamil Nadu or other Southern states, the dish is usually paired with a mixed vegetable ‘kurma’, or chutney. All these dishes are great spicy accompaniments to the bland, soft rava idli.

However, I wanted to take this meal a notch up in the nutrition ladder. Looking for a protein ingredient to accompany the ‘rava’, I felt the best one would be mung bean sprouts. Several reasons for this – mung beans are a pantry staple in most homes, they sprout with little effort, are quick cooking, and lend character to any meal. Still, with great trepidation, I waited to see the reaction on my family’s faces when I served this up for breakfast. One look at them all, and I was satisfied we have a winner at hand.

I urge all of you to try this out too. Enjoy it for breakfast, brunch or even dinner. And let me know your thoughts. Here is how I made our weekend breakfast.

ALLERGY INFORMATION

• Contains gluten from rava. NOT suitable for celiacs, or people with gluten sensitivity.
• Contains buttermilk. Usually suitable for people with lactose intolerance.
• Does NOT contain egg, corn, soya, nuts. Suitable for people with nut allergy.

Preparation Time – 30 minutes, Cooking Time – 30 minutes, Serves – 4-6.

YOU NEED

Cookware – Idli steamer, Pressure Cooker, Mixer Grinder, Sauce Pan

Ingredients

For the Rava Idlis – I used an Instant Mix of Soulfull Rava Idli Mix. This was part of the goodies we received at the IFBM. Quite fresh and convenient. Mix the contents of the packet with enough sour buttermilk to make a thick pouring batter. Grease idli moulds, pour in batter and steam in a pressure cooker/idli steamer for 10-12 minutes until done.

For the Mung Bean Sprout Sagu

1. 1 heaped cup Mung Bean Sprouts
2. 1/2 cup finely chopped Onions
3. 1/2 cup diced Tomatoes
4. 1 tsp Ginger garlic Paste OR make a paste of a thumb size ginger piece and 2 cloves garlic
5. 2-4 green chillies depending on your heat preference
6. 1 tbsp khus khus (poppy seeds) soaked in hot water for half an hour
7. 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
8. 1/4 cup roughly chopped green coriander leaves with stem
9. 1/2 tsp salt
10. 1 tsp Cooking Oil
11. 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
12. 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds

To Assemble

1. Set the khus khus to soak in 1/4 cup very hot water.
2. Rinse the sprouts, place in bowl, add 1/2 cup water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
3. Rinse, dice, prepare all vegetables as mentioned in ingredient list.
4. Grind these ingredients into a smooth paste – khus, fresh coconut, green chillies, fresh coriander leaves, ginger and garlic. You can add some water to help grind too.
5. Set a sauce pan over heat, add oil, tip in mustard and cumin to season.
6. When they crackle, add the onions, fry till soft, then add tomatoes. Add salt, fry till tomatoes are pulpy.
7. Pour in the cooked sprouts, add the ground paste, mix well, and simmer for 5 minutes. Do not boil on high heat. Add 1/2cup water to thin down if needed. We want a liquid dipping consistency. Check for salt. When the sagu is well blended, remove to serving bowl and enjoy with hot steaming rava idlis.

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Peanut and Peanut Butter

 

Peanuts / Groundnuts have been used in several cuisines in India and we do have a rich repertoire of dishes with peanuts. Who does not like Sabudana khichdi topped with roasted peanuts? Or peanut sundal or peanut chutney? Or what can beat the joy of munching on a peanut chikki square?

Peanut butter, on the other hand, is a recent entrant in India. United States leads in peanut butter production. Interestingly, India is the second largest producer of peanuts in the world and United States grows just a third of India’s peanut crop!

Health benefits of Peanuts

• Peanuts have high protein content (highest among nuts). It is a valuable source of protein.
• Peanuts are good for your heart. They contain anti-oxidants (even more than in fruits) and zero cholesterol.
• According to a popular myth “peanuts have too much fat.” The fact is more than 75% of the fat in peanuts is “good fat”,(MUFA and PUFA) needed for body functions, keeps heart healthy and maintains normal body weight.
• Roasted or boiled peanuts are great. However, fried peanuts are not. Fried peanuts have trans fats, hence not advised.
• High in fibre, higher than other edible nuts such as almond, cashew, pistachio, and walnuts. Also has Vitamins B & E, Manganese, and Magnesium.

Benefits of Peanut Butter

Peanut butter has both health and convenience benefits.

• Given the health benefits of peanuts, it is healthier than other table spreads such as cheese spread, butter, margarine, and jam.
• In a vegan / vegetarian diet, peanut butter can help fill in the gap of protein requirement.
• In a person who has normal body weight and is physically active, peanut butter is a healthy option as part of balanced meal.
• For sports people, peanut butter is a great energy-protein-fat source.
• Peanut butter was promoted as a super food in the United States about 100 years ago to feed starving people.

It is convenient in multiple ways. With its creamy spreadable consistency, it satisfies hunger with minimum bulk to a meal. It is a ready-to-eat food available in a jar. It has a long shelf life and needs no refrigeration. Hence it can be used on road trips, outdoor camping, etc. Peanut butter lends itself to several sweet or savoury meal options such as PBJ sandwiches, or as dip when combined with condiments, or as satay sauce, or salad dressing.

Caution before consuming peanuts and peanut butter

! If you are allergic to peanuts or any nuts, DO NOT consume peanuts or peanut butter. It can have mild to serious health consequences.

! If you are on a weight loss diet or on a special diet for kidney ailments, peanut consumption has to be carefully monitored.

! Presence of aflatoxins in peanuts can cause serious digestive disorders. Hence, always purchase peanuts and peanut butter from reliable sources.

Afterword

Recently I attended the “Health Workshop on Peanut Butter” conducted by Agro Tech Foods (makers of Sundrop brand of food products) at Bangalore . Dr. Swarupa Kakani, well-known nutritionist and head of Dietetics Department at Sagar Hospital, Bangalore led the workshop.

This inspired me to independently research nutritional value of peanuts and peanut butter. This post presents my views along with some of the material presented at the workshop.

Here are some recipes shared by Agro Tech foods with us at the workshop.

Apple, peanut butter, Granola sandwich

Ingredients

Any variety apple – 1 cored and sliced horizontally

Peanut Butter – 2 tbsp

Low fat Granola – 1/2 cup

Method

Spread1 tbsp peanut butter over an apple slice. Sprinkle some granola over the peanut butter.Top with another apple slice or serve as open – faced sandwich.

Peanut Butter Milk shake

Ingredients

Peanut Butter – 1 tbsp

Jam – 2 tsp (optional)

Milk – 1 cup

Vanilla Ice cream – 1 scoop

Method

Add all ingredients except ice cream to a blender. Whip until frothy.

Transfer to a glass. Top with Ice cream and serve.